Alec Stevens, No. 77, blocks down field for the Ogemaw Heights football team last season. (Courtesy)

Multiple Division 1 schools including Michigan State and Central Michigan University recruited Stevens throughout his junior year, but never made offers.

While the recruiting process didn’t quite go as expected for Stevens, he wasn’t disappointed with how it all played out when he signed with Siena Heights University Wednesday afternoon at his school.

“Siena Heights stuck with me,” Stevens said. “They kept in touch with me ever since the end of my sophomore year. They showed a lot of love, offered me good scholarship money and when I visited the campus I was sure it was the right fit.”

Stevens picked Siena Heights over the University of North Dakota, a team that had heavily recruited him in recent weeks, and Northern Michigan.

Siena Heights is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school that added football to its athletic department in 2011. Even though it plays in a lower level of football than both UND (Division I Football Championship Subdivision) and Northern (Division II), that didn’t factor into his decision.

"Honestly, I visited the schools blind to what division they were in," Stevens said. "My main focus is how I felt at the school. I didn't get the right vibe from North Dakota. Distance was an issue, I just felt uncomfortable there."

His coach Bill Foster, who stepped down after the season, was surprised more Division 1 programs didn’t make an effort to sign Stevens considering his size at 6-foot-5, 285-pounds and athleticism.

"I'm a little shocked to be honest," Foster said. "He kind of fell of the radar a little bit, and I’m not sure why. I know he had a hamstring injury over the summer that prevented him from attending some camps, but even if he wasn’t big enough to be a Division 1 tackle, he still could have been a guard or center.”

Coaches called Foster to get more information about Stevens throughout December and January, but outside of North Dakota nothing materialized.

“I was disappointed bigger schools, especially ones in Michigan, didn’t go after him,” Foster said. “He worked to get bigger and stronger on the line every year.”

When North Dakota visited Ogemaw Heights last week, an assistant from the school was also surprised a Division 1 school hadn’t already offered Stevens.

“They really wanted him," Foster said. " I talked with the assistant, and they said he graded out really high.”

Stevens isn’t spending much time thinking about what could have been. He said he is focused on the next big decision he has to make.

“Siena Heights is giving me the choice whether to red shirt or not,” Stevens said. “They said it will be up to me, so I’m excited to sit down and start thinking about that. If I don’t red shirt, I’ll get the chance to go to school right away and compete for a starting spot.”